So NEW ZEALAND DIRDS. 



'' The term ' Sea-s-\Tallow/ as applied to this Tern, is a very 

 appropriate one ; for on watching tlic evolutions of a flock of these 

 birds one is forcibly reminded of a flight of Swallows coursing in the 

 air. Their aerial manoeuvres arc truly beautiful ; and the apparent 

 ease with Avhich they dip into the water and capture their finny 

 prey cannot fail to interest an observer. They usually alight on 

 the sandy beach near the edge of the water, and stand so closely 

 packed that thirty or forty may be obtained at a single shot. They 

 shuffle about with a constant low twittering, and occasionally stretch 

 their wings upwards to their full extent, presenting a very pretty 

 apiDcarancc. "When fired at, or otherwise alarmed, the whole flock 

 rises simultaneously in the air in a vortex of confusion, crossing 

 and recrossing each other as they continue to hover over the spot, 

 producing at the same time a perfect din Avith their sharp cries of 

 ' ke-ke-ke.' 



" Some years ago, when exploring among the shoals and sand- 

 banks of the great Kaij)ara heads or basin, I observed thousands of 

 these birds ; and in this wild and unfrequented part of the coast they 

 were so fearless that they coursed about our boat within a few feet of 

 our heads, and the discharge of a gun among them only tended to 

 increase their apparent interest in us 



" This species of Tern breeds in large colonies, as many as two 

 hundred or more being sometimes associated together. The eggs are 

 deposited on the bare rock, often within reach of the sea-spray ; and, 

 as a rule, there is only a single egg to each nest. They arc usually 

 of an elegant ovoido-conical form, measuring 1*9 inch in length by 

 1"3 in breadth ; and they present great beauty and diversity in their 

 colouring. The ground-tint varies from a clear greyish-white to a 

 delicate greyish-green, and from a pale yellowish-brown to a dark 

 cream-colour. They are marked and spotted with purplish and dark 

 brown in every variety of character : some have the entire surface 

 studded with clear rounded spots, occasionally confluent ; others have 

 the marks broad and irregular ; while in some examples they are 

 spread into large dark blotches, covering a great portion of the sur- 

 face. Some specimens arc freckled all over with light brown, and 

 splashed at intervals M'ith darker broAvn ; others have a smudged 

 appearance, as thoTigh an attempt had been made to obliterate the 

 markings. In the Canterbury ^Museum there is a curious example, 

 having the entire surface covered with marbled veins of dark brown; 

 and another (collected by Mr. Fuller on the Waimakariri beach, and 

 ascribed by Mr. Potts with certainty to this species) is of a delicate 

 pinkish-brow 11 tint, with a broad zone of confluent spots towards the 



